Shall we dance?
by YoungTakinom
Summary: Hoping to help them feel more comfortable in the Overworld, Maxxor threw a party for Chaor and Takinom. But when Maxxor makes the wrong impression by asking Takinom to dance with him, Chaor gets jealous. Now Chaor and Intress are trying to get their attention, but Maxxor doesn't seem to be noticing.
1. Chapter 1

Thank you to Elemental1000 for noticing my mistake. I went over this again and saw a couple other typos.

And for those of you who are wondering, this is a one shot.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chaotic

Parties were not unheard of in the Underworld, but they were never this extravagant. Then again, this was not an Underworlder party. Maxxor had thrown this party for his arch rival, and the leader of the Underworld could not understand why Maxxor would make his servants go through this much trouble. Chaor watched as Nivenna danced with one of the male servants. Whether the young male was putting on a show because of orders or genuinely trying to get closer to her was still as much a mystery as the rest of this.

"Does this make any sense to you?" Takinom asked. She was sitting near her leader, ready to defend him if anything happened.

"Not a thing." Chaor admitted as he watched Maxxor dance with Intress. It was easier knowing that Takinom didn't understand it either.

"I can't believe the Overworlders would go through this much trouble for us." Takinom knew Chaor would understand what she was saying; something wasn't right about this.

"They're up to something." Chaor openly translated her words for her. Takinom placed her left hand on the table and place her right elbow on her hand. She the placed her right hand over her face. Chaor knew what that meant to; he had just embarrassed her. "Well they are." Chaor said defensively, hoping he wasn't talking loud enough for anyone to hear him. No one was looking, and that was a good sign.

Chaor and Takinom continued watching in silence as the instrumental music played on. They were both irritated at each other. If only Chaor could be more subtle, and if only Takinom didn't get embarrassed so easily. They were always getting upset with each other, and there was no need to say anything about it when it happened; they both knew what was said.

Finally the music stopped and Maxxor and Intress walked to the table. Takinom waited for Nivenna to look over towards her, but it didn't happen. Her sister said something to her before the girls giggled and traded partners. Takinom gave the two a disapproving look- what were those two giggling about?

"Aren't you two going to dance?" Maxxor asked as he pulled out a chair for Intress. Her ears went back as she blushed slightly, too happy to even speak. It was like all of her hopes and dreams from the past few solans had suddenly met up in her throat.

"Underworlders don't dance." Chaor said bluntly

Takinom blushed as well, but not for the same reasons Intress did.

"You don't seem very happy with that answer." Maxxor turned his attention to the winged female

"It's fine." she lied

"Perhaps you like to be the exception?" Maxxor bowed slightly as he offered out his hand to her. Intress glared, but as usual, Maxxor didn't take notice of her.

"Takinom isn't interested." Chaor answered for her

"How would you know what I'm interested in?" Takinom scolded him

"I would be honored to give you your first lessons." Maxxor said honestly. It truly was an honor to be able to make peace with someone who you had once considered a threat.

"The honor is all mine." Takinom assured him as she took his hand and let him lead her to the dance floor. The band watched in shock as the two walked hand in hand.

"Way to go Takinom!" Aivenna said, not knowing how much she was embarrassing her mother. "You need to give Intress some lessons on how to pick up men- she's been after that one since forever ago!"

Intress groaned and placed her head in both hands, not caring that her elbows were on the table. Chaor chuckled at her discomfort.

"Aivenna, you're embarrassing your mother." Nivenna scolded her twin

"I am?" Aivenna asked as she looked over at Intress. Nivenna was right, and there was only one thing left to do. "Sorry Mom!" Intress place one finger over her lips to remind Aivenna to behave "Oh right, inside voice. Got it!"

Takinom grinned at how out of control Aivenna was and how well Nivenna was tolerating it. Normally the two of them would have been arguing by now.

"Something slow." Maxxor said to the orchestra. They did not disobey their leader.

Chaor and Intress watched jealously while Maxxor taught Takinom how to dance. She looked so beautiful in her red dress with the pink gems, and it matched too well with Maxxor's toga. Togas were usually considered formal in Perim, and the pants he wore with it made it clear that this was a very special occasion.

"I should have worn red." Intress realized as she looked down at her strapless dress.

"Grey is a decent color." Chaor said it out of mere impulse, and he immediately regretted it

"I would have never expected you to compliment me!" Maxxor glanced over when he heard Intress say that, but he didn't let it distract him from dancing with Takinom.

"I said grey is decent color." Chaor corrected her "That doesn't make you pretty."

"Your leader isn't very nice." Maxxor said quietly enough for only Takinom to hear him

"He's always like this." Takinom whispered so that Chaor wouldn't hear her

"Even to you?" Maxxor's heart physically heart when she said that.

"No," she sighed "he's not usually that nice to me. At least he told her that her dress was a decent color. Chaor never compliments my clothing."

"A lady should be treated with more respect than that." Maxxor said as he place one of her hands on his shoulder and wrapped his now free arm around her waist. She gasped and looked at him as though he was being inappropriate with her. "I think I know which song they're playing, and it's about to get faster."

"And a male is supposed to do this to a lady during a fast song?" Takinom asked as though she knew the answer was 'no'.

"For this one, yes." Maxxor remained calm and collected "That's just the type of song that it is."

"The rules of dancing must be more complicated than I assumed."

"Get ready, and don't get stiff." Maxxor warned her "There are a lot of complicated steps coming up, and I don't expect you to get all of them right. I'll have to have a talk with the orchestra after this. But for now, just relax."

Takinom wanted to make a smart remark about the band, but she kept her mouth closed.

Maxxor was right; the song did get fast and more complicated. Takinom did her best to keep up with it all, but she was failing miserably. Chaor would have made plenty of statements if she was failing with him, but Maxxor remained calm and gently, reassuring her every few steps that she was doing good. She soon began to relax. No wonder Intress was so addicted to this man!

Soon the song slowed down again.

"I'm so glad that's over." Takinom openly admitted to her former enemy

"We're not through yet." Maxxor warned her "Have you ever been dipped before?"

"Excuse me?" As far as Takinom knew, Maxxor was making a pass on her

"At the end of this song, I'm going to need you to trust me." Maxxor did his best to calmly explain what dipping was

"And you expect me to believe that you're not going to let me fall?"

Chaor heard that and narrowed his eyes. He glanced at Intress. She too knew which song was being played. She knew what was going to happen, and she was furious. He wanted to go to Takinom's defense, but she would probably just get upset with him again.

As soon Takinom was dipped, Chaor saw what the problem was. Something about the way she let herself fall back just so that Maxxor's strong arm could support her slender body just made him boil with rage. Now he understood what dancing was, and he would never let Takinom open herself up to Maxxor like that again.

The territorial male got out of his seat and stormed over to his third in command. Intress watched jealousy as Chaor grabbed Takinom by the arm practically dragged her out of the room. Maxxor had tried to intervene, but of course Takinom would want him to stay out of it. Men just never understand, but at least Chaor was making it clear that Takinom was his instead of dancing with another woman.

Maxxor walked back to the table and sat next to his second in command.

"Chaor needs to be more gentle with her." Maxxor immediately began to hate his rival again "It's one thing to show hostility towards an enemy, but the way he treats Takinom is uncalled for."

"Did you even see what just happened?" Maxxor looked questioningly at Intress. She had never sounded so cold towards him before.

"Do you mean the way he grabbed her and forced her into the hallway?" Maxxor didn't even try to imitate her tone- he would never speak to her that way.

"You don't know a thing about females." Intress said as she got up and walked a few feet away from him

Maxxor got up and followed her. "Do you want to go somewhere more private to talk?"

"No." Intress said as her ears went back again. "I don't want Chaor to think there's anything between us."


	2. Chapter 2

This was supposed to be a one-shot, but I can't leave it alone

Disclaimer: I don't own Chaotic

As soon as the party was over, Maxxor personally showed the Underworlders to their rooms. Takinom made Nivenna walk in front of her so she could keep an eye on her daughter.

"This is where Nivenna will be staying." Maxxor said casually as he opened the door for her. Nivenna froze for a moment before running inside. She looked around at the pure perfection of if all. The high walls were lined with books, the floors, walls, and even the ceiling were freshly polished, and the large bed was covered with the most luxurious red silk sheets and more pillows than Nivenna would possibly need. They were multiple sizes and shapes; from circles and rectangles to mugic spheres, hearts, and even shapes of musical notes. "I wasn't sure which type of pillow you prefer or how many you would need, so I made to provide plenty of options."

"I've never seen so many books." Nivenna lied. She was sure she and Kopond both had about this many, but the ones they had were mostly old. Books were rare in the Underworld, and there were not many different topics.

"Most of these are from right here in the Overworlder, but I did convince Iflar to open a trade line for books."

The young Underworlder look at him questioningly. "I wouldn't think the Mipedians would have a lot of books." Nivenna with a hint of sass in her tone.

"Nivenna." Takinom had enough venom in her voice to make the teen shiver.

"They don't." Maxxor admitted "But the royal family had a few old ones that they were no longer using."

"And you're letting me read them?" Nivenna looked around again, not sure why Maxxor was being so nice to her. She may have been Takinom's adopted daughter, but that didn't mean she had a say in anything. Chaor and Takinom should have been the center of his attention- she didn't really matter to the situation.

"I see no sense in hiding them." Maxxor walked to the door on the side of her room. "I understand that being here may be a bit uncomfortable for you, even with all of this, so I gave you and Takinom joined rooms. If you feel the need to see her in the night, just use this door. No one will have to know."

Chaor glanced at Takinom. The mother was smiling as though her daughter had somehow managed to prove herself to the entire Underworld. Maxxor also turned his attention to her.

"I know a lot of the luxuries here aren't available in the Underworld, so I scheduled an appointment for the both of you at the best spa in Kiru City." Maxxor was smiling as though he was talking about hanging out with a friend "I will be there to make sure you have the best experience possible."

"And what makes you think they'll go alone with you?" Chaor asked openly "How do we know this isn't some sort of trap?"

Takinom's face turned red as she gave him a dirty look, but Maxxor seemed to only be mildly annoyed "If this were a trap of any sort, then you would all have been captured already."

"Thank you Maxxor." Nivenna purposefully sounded sweet, if only to stay on his good side. After all of the trouble she had caused, Maxxor was still willing to treat her of all creatures with such kindness. No one in the Underworld had ever been so nice to her, even before she found out that she may not have been born in the Underworld.

"You're welcome." Maxxor smiled at her. Chaor looked down at Takinom. She was smiling at the Overworlder, and he didn't like it.

"Are you only treating her this way because her sister is an Overworlder?" Chaor accused Maxxor

"Chaor!" Takinom said his name as though it was poison in her mouth. She had never used such a tone with him before, and it didn't help the situation.

But Chaor insisted on hiding his true emotions. "Can't you see what he's doing?" Chaor knew Takinom would not be willing to take her chances on this one. "Maxxor knows Nivenna is one of the best mugicians in the Underworld, and having Aivenna here in the Overworld is giving him an opportunity to make her turn on us!"

Takinom gasped and her eyes grew wide. Without considering the consequences, she immediately rushed to her child. "We cannot stay any longer." Takinom wanted to carry her daughter out of the castle, but she couldn't embarrass the young female. So she grabbed her by the arm and began to walk away with her.

"I assure you, that is not what I had in mind." Maxxor tried to reason with them

"Nontheless, we are leaving." Takinom said sternly as she passed by her ruler with her daughter looking back at the room. He waited until she was a few feet ahead of him before giving Maxxor a smug grin. Takinom may not have seen it, but Nivenna surely did.

"You can't really think I would do something like that?" Nivenna had to pull Takinom's strings if she was going to get a whole night in that room. Takinom stopped walking. Nivenna continued. "Just because Maxxor's being nice to me doesn't mean I'm going to stay here with him. I'm an Underworlder! I would never betray my tribe. **Our tribe.** You raised me better than that. Don't you trust me?"

Takinom couldn't argue with that.

"Maybe I am being a tiny bit dramatic." Takinom admitted.

"I would never even attempt to turn Nivenna against you." Maxxor assured her "You are all safe here. We are no longer enemies."

"Please Mother?" Nivenna asked

Takinom smiled at her apprentice. "Alright." she said before looking at Maxxor "It's only one night."

"Thank you!" Nivenna screamed as she quickly hugged her mother before running back to the room of wonder "Thank you!"

Chaor narrowed his eyes as Nivenna slammed the door and locked it.

"As I said before, your room is right next door." Maxxor said as he calmly walked to the next room and opened the door for her. "I am sure you like pink and green."

Chaor glared at Maxxor as Takinom quickly inspected the room, commenting every so often on something that caught her attention. Maxxor simply returned the smirk that his rival had given him.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Chaotic

Chaor couldn't stop remembering the countless times Maxxor had attempted to kill him and at least his most destructive moments in the Overworld. It made Chaor feel very threatened. At any moment, Maxxor could barge in with countless Overworld solders and do as he pleased with the three of them.

But if Maxxor kept his word and did not harm them in any way, then Takinom would simply trust him more, and that would not be good. Maxxor was capable and willing to more for her and her daughter than Chaor had ever even offered. Cothica forbid anything should happen between Maxxor and Nivenna; the slightest bit of bonding between them could ruin what he had with Takinom. But what they had wasn't much anyway.

The brute sat up, thinking over what could potentially happen. If Nivenna bonded with Maxxor, Takinom wouldn't dare attack the Overworld, even if her leader ordered her to. And if Maxxor managed to convince Takinom that he could treat her better, then Chaor wouldn't put it past her to become the next Queen of the Overworld.

Chaor growled at what he had gotten into. Maxxor knew exactly what he was doing, and pointing it out would only make things worse. But if they hadn't come, then the Overworld would have taken it as an offense. Offending the Overworlders now that the four tribes were at peace would give them an excuse to unite against the Underworld with another tribe, and the Danians had already started trespassing onto Underworld territory. And even Krekk would know that the Mipedians would back the two tribes up if it meant acquiring more land and resources.

After all these solans, Maxxor had won. The Overworlder had outsmarted him, and the underhandedness of it all was more than even Van Bloot could have come up with. At least when Van Bloot had tried to take her from him, the traitor had admitted his intentions. But the details had been kept secret, and there was no way Maxxor could have drawn inspiration from those events.

One way or another, Chaor was going to suffer. But at least this way his tribe was safe. And he had some time left with Takinom, so long as he didn't say anything to upset her anymore than he already had.

In all the years he had known Takinom, Maxxor had beat him with only one night. Maxxor had been calm with her and took the time out to make sure she was comfortable. Maxxor had asked her to dance with him, and Chaor didn't even let her answer the question herself. She had every right to be upset with him, and surely Maxxor was going to rub it in.

Chaor laid back down.

Thinking about it wasn't going to solve the problem, and even if Takinom was upset with him, she wasn't going to leave him for it, much less abandon her tribe. Nivenna had worded it best: they were Underworlders and one night of some Overworlder sucking up to them was not going turn Takinom against her tribe. She had proven her loyalty to Chaor time and time again.

So then why was he so worried? Was his judgment just off? It wouldn't be the first time. He had made bad calls before, and Takinom knew the penalty for betraying her tribe had been heightened after the deal between Van Bloot and the M'erillians.

But now that there was peace between the tribes, would her dumping him for Maxxor really count as a betrayal?

Chaor laughed at himself.

He was being ridiculous. Takinom wasn't going to dump him, especially not for Maxxor, when they had put up with each other this long. There were plenty of males in the Underworld who were willing to dedicate all of their time to pampering her, so why would she throw away everything they had for some male who would probably never have any time for her?

But when did Chaor have time for her? He got so caught up in going over everything that he had ever done wrong that he didn't even notice the sun coming up. The knock at his door came too soon. As he turned his head towards the sound, someone cracked the door open.

The ruler of the Underworld was already up by the time his woman started talking to him. "Chaor, I'm going out with Maxxor now."

Chaor's heart stopped beating for a couple seconds before he felt it shatter.

" **What?** " he shouted at her, but with his heart broken into so many peices, he couldn't reach his usual volume

"Maxxor and I had an appointment at the spa." she reminded him, assuming her leader had forgotten about the appointment and was just overreacting again. "We are heading out now."

Chaor sat back down. It had just been a simple misunderstanding. Takinom and Maxxor were not going out, they were just _heading_ out. This was still a friendly visit to the spa, not a date. Chaor breathed a sigh of relief.

Takinom didn't catch on to the emotions in it. In her mind, Chaor was ignoring her, and she did not like being ignored. She wanted so badly to tell him off, but she didn't have time to argue right then and they were both too stressed out for a reasonable one. If they didn't put it off, then they would both say things they didn't mean.

"I'm leaving now." she let him know again, clearly irritated by something Chaor still didn't understand. "I'll be back in time for lunch. You missed breakfast, but apparently you're alright."

As soon as she shut the door, he got up. She was irritated, and even if he didn't know if it was his fault, he needed to make her feel better before Maxxor could. Chaor rushed to the door immediately started acting calm. If he didn't want to somehow makes things worse, then he would have to have complete control over his mouth.

Takinom froze when she heard the door handle turn. Chaor was coming out, and that worried her. Was he in a bad mood again? That was likely. What was he going to yell at her for this time? Was he just going to remind her to behave herself? What were the chances of him just wanting to tell her 'goodbye'?

Takinom needed him to do that, but he wouldn't. This was Chaor she was thinking about- no amount of fantasizing about it could ever make that wish come true. Chaor was going to say something she didn't want to hear, and she couldn't change that. All she could do was just let it go in one ear and out of the other, but she didn't even want to look at him just then.

Even when he placed his hands on her hips, she just ignored him. Chaor bent over so that she could feel his breath against her neck as he spoke to her. "Have fun." Takinom hadn't heard him sound so caring in a long time.

"Chaor?" she recognized his deep voice, but the tone was so foreign to her.

Something about the way she said his name hurt him. It was almost she didn't even know his voice anymore. Before either of them could say anything else, he kissed her cheek and went back to his room.

Takinom silently scolded herself as she walked down the hallway. Nivenna was waiting for her just a few halls down, and she couldn't leave her child unattended in the Overworld. She may have need a moment with Chaor while he was in one of his rare moods, but Nivenna needed her, and Takinom had to put her daughter first. How dare she be so tempted to go back to Chaor?

When she caught up with her daughter, Takinom wasn't very surprised that Maxxor was keeping on eye on Nivenna.

"What did he say to you this time?" Nivenna had plenty of sass in her voice, and Takinom knew she was referring to Chaor.

Takinom sighed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Are you ready?" Maxxor changed the subject before he could give in to temptation and try to get into their business

"Yes." Takinom said as they began to walk down the hall "What exactly are we scheduled for?"


	4. Chapter 4

So I wasn't sure at first whether or not I should put this first part in here since it's a little more towards the 'T' rating, but the first time I got a massage from someone who had actually been a massage school, I had to do this. Sorry for any inappropriate mental images you may get from it, but it is a good warning for someone who's never been to a spa before. If I had known about this before my mom had scheduled that appointment for me, I probably wouldn't have went.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chaotic

"We have to do what?!" Takinom tried to keep herself under control, but she was clearly having difficulties.

"You're going to have a towel covering you." Maxxor told her as if it made everything better

"The spas in the Underworld don't offer this." Nivenna reminded her mother, hoping that she would change her mind again

Takinom looked her daughter right in the eyes. "We are not going through with this."

"It's just a massage." Maxxor reminded the winged warrior "No one will do anything inappropriate."

"The fact that we have to take our clothes off is inappropriate in and of itself." Takinom sounded calm, but her red face looked disgusted and horrified.

"I will be in the room right next to yours to make sure that no body touches you in any inappropriate way." Maxxor assured her

"I don't know if you being a part of this will make me any more comfortable." Takinom was being honest

"Wait!" Nivenna was suddenly horrified. "You won't actually be with us?"

"I will be as soon as the massage is over." Maxxor said. Then he tilted his head and added a sarcastic question "Unless you and Takinom want me to be in the same room as you?"

"No!" Takinom was ready to slap him, but she struggled to control herself.

"You'll feel much better once you relax."

"Takinom, we're going to be in the same room." Nivenna told her mother "And if the Overworlders enjoy it so much, maybe we should give it a try?"

"I don't know." Takinom wasn't sure if she should go through with it. If it was as relaxing as Maxxor claimed then maybe it would be worth it. After all, having a towel over her wouldn't show much more than she usually did. But it didn't sound very comfortable. Takinom didn't like the idea of a stranger touching her sore muscles or seeing her in that condition. Making Nivenna that uncomfortable would be even worse.

"Takinom, we need this!" Nivenna begged.

Takinom looked her daughter in the eyes again. Nivenna was right- they _needed_ that massage. They were both so sore, even after resting on those soft, luxurious beds that Maxxor had so kindly let them use. After all that Maxxor had done for them, surely a two hour massage couldn't be as bad as it sounded.

Takinom sighed. "Alright."

One she finally relaxed, the treatment was simply miraculous. Every tight muscle in her body was patiently worked out with gentleness that she could not remember ever feeling before. Even when the message therapist started working on her lower back, she was too relaxed and pampered to think anything of it. Every so often she would become aware enough of how odd it was to glance over at her apprentice to make sure she was just as comfortable, only to see a look of pure contentment on her daughter's face.

After that they were led out of the message room for their first Overworld manicures and pedicures. Maxxor was already waiting for them. There were a few small tables with what was obviously manicure supplies. However, some of the tools were not familiar to Takinom. She looked at Nivenna with a questioning face. Nivenna simply shrugged. Apparently manicures were a bit more complicated in the Overworld.

Maxxor immediately noticed their sudden discomfort "I know from experience that this is the best spa to go to for pedicures."

"So guys actually have pedicures here, and no one thinks anything of it?" Takinom asked.

"Is this not common in the Underworld?" Maxxor was a bit surprised. Sharp claws were common in the Underworld, so he knew that even the males must have had some sort of method of keeping them fighting-fit.

"Most males just file their own claws." Takinom explained to him "Those who can afford it will use strengthening oil, but caring for their cuticles and painting their claws is too feminine for most males."

Maxxor laughed. "We don't exactly paint them pink." Maxxor explained before Takinom could ask what he was laughing at. "We have plenty of masculine options when it comes to color."

"Oh." Takinom had plenty of other questions, but it was best to wait and see rather than bother the ruler of the Overworld.

They all sat quietly, waiting for whatever was about to happen next. Maxxor was getting inpatient. Service here wasn't usually so slow, and now was not a good time to leave their clients waiting. He had specifically asked for the experience to be the best Takinom ever had, and that even met going so far as to make sure none of the other clients got anywhere near her. Perhaps some patriotic Overworlder was arguing with them upfront.

Maxxor pushed the thought out of his mind. Whatever the problem was, security could handle it.

Just seconds after he got comfortable, the door opened with the sound of an employee saying unsurely, "M-miss, you can't go in there."

Maxxor looked around to see who dared to interrupt him. "Intress?"

What was she doing there?

"I'm not leaving." she said firmly as she sat down in a chair. She didn't even bother to look at him. Instead she immediately started to look at her nails.

"Good morning to you to." Takinom said with just a hint of sarcasm in her voice. How dare Intress not say anything to her?

"It's technically after noon." Intress informed her

Maxxor did not appreciate her tone of voice. He got up from his seat and started to walk out the door and into the hall. "Intress, may I speak with you?"

Intress smiled as she followed her leader. He must have sensed that she was upset about him taking Takinom to the spa after dancing with her just the night before. She was still so tense and it, but knowing that Maxxor was about to comfort her and assure her of his love for her made Intress feel much better. She closed the door behind them, not wanting anyone to know even a word of their private conversation. This was a special conversation between just her and her man; no one needed to know about any of it.

"What are you doing here?" Intress hadn't expected her leader to sound upset with her

"What's wrong?"

"I told you I scheduled a private treatment for the three of us." Maxxor reminded her

"I need to be here." she looked so sad, but Maxxor couldn't let her win this one

"I need Takinom and Nivenna to be as comfortable as possible, and that means you can't be here."

"What makes you being here any different from me being here?" Intress was offended

"If we want them to be as comfortable as possible, then we can't both be here." Maxxor explained to her "And I have more control over my mouth than you have."

Intress was beat. "Fine!" she said as she stormed off "But I don't like this."

"You can come here later." Maxxor assured her, not understanding what the problem was. Intress didn't seem any calmer. Instead she was walking a little bit faster, almost as though she needed to leave before she lost her temper. As much as Maxxor wanted to know what was wrong, he needed to get back to Takinom and Nivenna before they could think anything of it.

"I am so sorry for the interruption."

"What was that about?" Takinom asked

"Intress just wanted to know how you're doing." Maxxor lied "Are you comfortable?"

"Very." Takinom answered before looking at her apprentice "Right, Nivenna?"

"We need to come back sometime." Nivenna didn't bother trying to hide it "I want one of these in Fear Valley."

Maxxor chuckled. If they were enjoying their visit then surely Chaor would be satisfied, and they were much easier to please than Chaor was. Who knew how to get on Chaor's good side, other than Takinom? All Maxxor had to do was keep her happy and let her convince Chaor to do whatever was best for the Overworld. After all, what kind of male wouldn't want to keep his female happy?


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Chaotic

Chaor was laying in bed, boots and armor on the floor, trying to think of some way to impress Takinom. Maxxor had the upper hand, and time was running out. The Underworlders were supposed to leave the next morning, but with every second, Maxxor was probably convincing Takinom to stay in Kiru City.

Chaor could give her a spa of her very own when they got back to the Underworld, and letting Nivenna visit the library whenever she wanted would help Chaor use her as string like Maxxor did.

But Takinom was no puppet.

A knock at the door caught his attention. The brut grinned as he sat up. It was about time Takinom came back to him. "Come in."

But it wasn't Takinom. Instead Intress walked in. She stopped a few feet away from the door- just as soon as she saw how little Chaor was wearing. Seeing him in his usual attire was bad enough, but seeing him in just his loincloth was an unexpected thing to have to deal with.

"Well you're comfortable, aren't you?"

"I'd be a lot more comfortable if Takinom was here instead of you." Chaor growled

Intress cross her arms and turned her head slightly, giving him a smug yet questioning look. "I bet you would."

"Why are you here?"

"I just interrupted Maxxor and Takinom." Intress didn't bother trying to hide it "You're advisor seems very comfortable here. I hope you're not too close to her."

"You don't know anything!" Chaor was being impulsive again "Takinom would never choose him over me!"

"So you do have something between you two." Chaor growled at her, but she didn't seem phased. "Sometimes I question how much there really is between me and Maxxor. I'm always the first one to tell him "I love you.", and he never holds me, and when I get dressed up for him, he doesn't tell me how pretty I am- he just says that I should dress that way for him more often. Maxxor likes fancy things and pretty colors."

"Why are you telling me this?" Chaor was to surprised to be angry with her, but he sounded emotionless.

"You didn't get very dressed up for the party last night."

"I'm losing my patience."

"I think the best way to get Maxxor's attention is to make him think there's competition."

"Is your head full of fur, woman?" Chaor jumped up, ready to force her out of the room. "What makes you think you have a chance with me?"

"Do you want Takinom to start focusing on you again, or not?" Intress spat out

"What makes you think bothering Maxxor will do to get her back on my side?"

"You didn't have to worry about losing her until Maxxor butted in. Once he starts noticing me, Takinom will be all yours again."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer:? I don't own Chaotic

Nivenna was beyond happy. As far as she knew the plan was for Chaor and Takinom to leave right after the party, but apparently this vacation was going to be longer than that. This was only her second night, and Maxxor had assured her that she would get to see all of the best places in Kiru before she left. She was so excited about getting to stay for a whole week that as soon as she got back into her room she put on a dress for dinner with Maxxor and closed the curtains. She took her shoes off and began to jump on the bed, but her stomach was still so full from lunch that she had to lay down out of fear of throwing up.

The Overworld was a dream. Maxxor had mentioned a library, and of course she thought he was talking about his private one. But a public library for everyone- not just the higher ups? How could the Overworlders be so generous? And the majority being able to read was overwhelming for her.

"I want to stay forever." Nivenna said softly to herself.

It took a few seconds for what she just said to sink in. She sat up in fear. How could she say such a thing? The Underworld was her home. How could she be so willing to abandon it after just one day? She hadn't even seen the library yet. Surely it couldn't be as great as Maxxor said.

She laid back down and cried.

Chaor was right- Maxxor was turning her on her tribe. She needed to warn someone of what Maxxor was doing, but Takinom was too naïve to notice what was happening, just like Nivenna had been.

And now Takinom was in Chaor's room telling him about what a great day she had.

Chaor had been to preoccupied with Intress's scheme to notice his door opening. How could Maxxor do such a thing to Intress? It was bad enough that Takinom was falling for Maxxor's tricks, but for Maxxor to do that, knowing that Intress was suffering for it, was more treacherous than any trick ever played in the Underworld. Intress loves Maxxor to the point of putting her life on the line just to fulfill her leader's demands, and he was acting oblivious to the pain his actions were causing her. Acting as though he cared for Takinom and Nivenna was tearing Intress apart, and yet she had the nerve to go to Chaor and expect him to shove the same knife into Takinom's back?

He could never.

"Oh Chaor, I think you want to see this." Takinom's almost seemed to be singing. Chaor grinned and turned his head towards her, half expecting a new dress.

He got a lot more than just that. Takinom was wearing a froufrou pink dress with white lace, ruffles, and green rhinestones. It covered her knees and shoulders and barely showed her collarbone. But the weird dress was nothing compared to her hair and makeup. Her once perfectly straight hair was now curled and put in two pigtails with pink bows to match her obnoxious new dress. To make matters worse, her simple face was now marred with more makeup than Chaor had ever seen on a female, including those human ones. She had four different shades of pink eyeshadow and some stupid purple eyeliner encaging her precious eyes, but yet they shimmered with happiness that he hadn't been in her face in solan. The red smile that he had always found so uplifting was now a bubblegum pink, and her pale, semi-shimmery blush made her whole face seem so over-done.

"What has Maxxor done to you!?" Chaor was too impulsive to hide his fear, but it once again came out in the form of anger.

It was too late to take it back. Her happy face immediately change to one of hurt and shock, but it only stayed that way for a few seconds. Chaor could see that she was trying to control herself, but it was no use; he had hurt her again.

"I'm happier than I have been in solans, and you just have to insult me, don't you?" Takinom was struggling to hold back tears. Chaor had never seen her this way before, and he wanted desperately to take the pain he had just delt to her, but she continued to speak her mind as she turned around and stormed off. "Why is it that I go to extremes to impress you and all you ever seem to see is what I'm doing wrong?!" She was at the door now. The winged female turned and looked him right in the eyes and continued her rant "Why can't you just give me one compliment?! What do I have to do to feel appreciated?!" She seemed to hesitate for a half a second before screaming, "Why do you always ruin everything!?"

Chaor was guilty as charged, and he didn't bother even following her to apologize. Her last accusation had tore through him much deeper than Takinom thought it would. Chaor was always too caught up in something else to take the time out to make her feel appreciated. Chaor was the one who always said something to make her feel bad, and she had remained loyal to him up until this moment.

He thought back to what Intress said: Maxxor liked fancy things and pretty colors. Maxxor had more in common with Takinom than he did, and he obviously knew how to make her feel special.

But then it occurred to Chaor that Intress had been dealing with the same thing Takinom had; she had spent solans on some guy who she had nothing in common with and learned as much as she could about how to make him happy. If Maxxor and Takinom had so much in common, then it only made sense that Intress would know how to make Takinom happy, and if she knew Maxxor as well as she thought she did, then Chaor had to take any chance he could to get Takinom away from him fast.

So he got up quickly and headed out to find the place Intress had told him to meet her at. As he past by Takinom's door, he thought about trying to apologize to her, but knowing him he would manage to make things worse. Chaor had told Intress that he wasn't going to waste his time with some dance recital, but if she could help him with his problem then it was worth watching Aivenna do whatever this odd Overworld ritual consisted of.

Like plenty of other places in Kiru City, the building was big and shiny; the exact opposite of what a typical building would look like back home. It suddenly occurred to him that the architecture was probably getting Takinom's attention as much as anything else.

Chaor hated this place more than ever.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Chaotic

Takinom knocked on Nivenna's door but didn't wait for her to answer before going in. She almost immediately noticed that her daughter was crying.

"Nivenna, sweetie, what's wrong?" the doting mother forgot about her problems as soon as she saw her daughter in such distress. Most parents in the Underworld would have taught their children to deal with their own problems by this age, but Takinom valued a close bond between family.

Nivenna couldn't tell her mother what she was going through; it would destroy the trust Takinom had in her. Takinom had raised her and considered Nivenna to be her daughter. Nivenna was to scared of ruining that to be honest. "I don't want to talk about it." But the truth was that Nivenna did need to talk about it, and she knew that she couldn't keep it in forever.

"Do you miss the Underworld?" Takinom asked. Nivenna just sniffled as she tried hold everything in, but the deep emotions found their way out in the form of a short whimper. Her mother took it as a 'Yes'. "I do too." Takinom admitted "It's so much colder here, and the sun is so bright. Everyone is so social; it's like everybody knows everyone. They're all so talkative. Home is so much more quite. It's going to feel so good to get back."

"If Aivenna is supposed to be a warrior, why do you let her waste time with this?" Chaor sat in a seat next to Intress. Some other parents were there too, but they chose to sit on the other side of he room.

"Aivenna is very active." Intress explained "Dance lessons are another way to let her get exercise without training her for violence. Plus, it's a good chance for her to socialize."

"Why would you want her to socialize when she could be training?" Chaor was genuinely trying to understand their thought process, and Intress did her best to answer it in a way he could understand.

"Overworlders value trust and teamwork over raw strength. Plus, now that the wars are over, both sides have no need to obsess over preparing for war."

"I suppose." Chaor drawled out. He didn't sound too sure, and Intress gave him an unsure look. She didn't trust him or the way he said that, but questioning him about it would only seem accusing.

The tigress turned her attention back to her daughter. The intertribal was slightly out of step with the rest of the dancers, and Intress was sure Chaor being there had a lot to do with her lack of focus. She looked to Intress for reassurance. The loving mother smiled and nodded- everything was fine for now.

They were eventually asked to leave early. Apparently Aivenna started distracting the other dancers. Intress hadn't noticed it, but she didn't argue.

"I did horribly." Aivenna said as the three exited

"So what now?" Chaor was in a hurry to get this plan over with.

"All we can do now is wait for word to get out about the three of us being seen together." Intress said sadly. She too wanted this to all be over with.

"The best way to get people talking about something is to make sure a lot of creatures know about it." Aivenna said calmly, hoping for Chaor to hang out with them more. She was the only one who honestly thought they could be friends.

"Do you want me to scream it on the rooftops?" Chaor asked half seriously

"No!" Intress grew impatient as Aivenna laughed. As much as she loved seeing her daughter happy, Chaor was more obnoxious than Intress had ever imagined. Before the war ended she had seem him as nothing more than a tyrant who was mad all the time. She had never expected him to make a joke, but apparently he did have a sense of humor, and she did not find it amusing.

"How about we go to training facility and have a race?" Aivenna suggested

"Aivenna, I don't see how that's going to help." Intress told her "The facilities are heavily guarded. No one will see us."

"The guards will." Aivenna reminded her "Surely one of them will let it slip that Chaor was training with me."

Chaor looked surprised. "Smart kid."

"Only when she wants something." Intress said on impulse.

"That's not true." Aivenna tried to defend herself "It just comes and goes."

Chaor laughed at her. It wasn't long before she started laughing with him. Neither one noticed the worried look on Intress's face; Chaor and Aivenna bonding was not part of her plan.


End file.
